Blood Ritual
by LamaraLily
Summary: When a man is found dieing on the outskirts of Rivendell, it is up to Legolas and Aragorn to find out what is actually going on. In doing so, they unknowingly stumble into what could be their own demise. Both are needed for a blood ritual, will either come out alive?
1. Chapter 1

**Well guys, I finally decided to put up my first story. I'm trying to be nice to the two before hand, but things may not go that way. :P Lol. Anyway I won't hold you any longer, read on. :)**

**Warnings: AU (I'm not taking any chances here), Violence and Torture in later chapters**

**Aragorn is in his mid twenties and Legolas is well... a young elf. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story, no matter how much I want to... I don't... They all belong to the wonderful man Tolkien, other than a few baddies but hey, who wants those guys when you could be Tolkien!**

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**Prologue**

A cloaked figure looked around intently, from afar he seemed as if he were prey hiding from the hunter, but up close anyone could tell no hunter would want this meal. Seemingly appeased with his findings, the figure hobbled into the cave entrance, protecting something small in a cloth in between his hands.

The darkness consumed the figure and he let out a shudder. Even he could feel the cold tendrils of death swirl about him as he journeyed further in the cave. At last he had come to the back of the cave. The figure hobbled in a strange formation as he avoided the traps he knew were waiting. His hands shook as he uncovered the small gemstone from the cloth. It was an emerald green color, but it looked as if a fire was alight within.

The figure drew back his cloak to stare at the sight of the small gem in his hands. A smirk graced the old man's lips. He would be young again. He began to run his hands along the wall searching for the hole he knew was there. His fingers ran across something rough and as he drew his fingers past it once again, he knew this to be the keyhole. The old man's shaking hands quickly put the gemstone in the hole and gave it a small press.

The cave began shaking as if it was going to cave in and the old man put his hands over his head on instinct. However, when the shaking stopped, a doorway was open in the back wall just in front of where he stood. He grabbed the gem out of the wall and began hobbling further into darkness. At long last he walked into a room bathed in a strange blue light located at the center point. The closer he approached the blue light he saw it was a man, a man in his mid 30s he assumed.

Fear began to grip the man in an icy vice as he slowly approached the blue shrouded man. There at the nape of the neck was an empty hole almost seemingly set into the skin. It was the exact shape of the gem he held in his hand. His shaking hands placed the gem into the spot and suddenly there was a great blast of air that pushed the old man back to land on his rear. As his old bones protested the movement of getting up a hand was reached out towards him, a hand bathed in a blue light.

"Stand mortal." The man said to the figure on the ground. "Rise and tell your Master what has happened the past many years I've slept." The old man sat motionless, fear going through his eyes. Power beamed off the man, even a blind one could have felt the power this man held. "Come, I have not got all day. You will get your reward, so tell me what has happened." He boomed.

The old man grasped his hand and got to his feet. "I apologize... Master... I uh.." The old man found his courage, or his greed, he WAS going to become young again and he needed this locked-away-soul to get that for him. "I am from a small town down the mountains and I'm the scroll keeper there. I read about your defea- I mean your saddened fate and thought I could help you in return for something I need. I scoured Middle Earth in search of that gemstone and I finally have got it to you. All I ask is for youth again."

The other man smiled evily. He knew mankind's greed and he was going to get back his immortality with this man's help, though he knew the old man would not get what he desired. "That can be arranged. But as you can see I am slowly loosing my power." Even as he stated this his blue glow was fading. "All I need are two ingredients, an immortal and a mortal who can bleed." His smile widened at the thought of it. "Now what can I call you?"

"K-Kowan sir- I mean Master."

The blue man smirked, "Well, time to go out in this world and find those cruel enough to help me. Though, I hope you do understand Kowan that we need to lead my two ingredients to this cave. I do apologize beforehand." He advanced upon the man an evil sneer plastered to his face. "This will only hurt for a little bit."

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**Well first story ever guys! :) I apologize for grammar and mistakes and such! I also apologize if this was jumpy, I was just too excited!  
**

**You can all guess who the mortal and immortal are going to be! ;P**

**Review please! I'd love to hear them!**

**Thanks for Reading**

**LamaraLily Out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you all for reading and your support! :D Just a little note, Elladan and Elrohir may end up making a much larger appearance than I intended. Also when it comes to a different character's view or a different part, I will do some sort of a line break. I do apologize, my use of Estel and Aragorn will be random. I hope that's not confusing. :) I hope you guys enjoy.**

**Oh! Also this story will NOT be SLASH, only brotherly love is intended. Take it how you will.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these lovely characters no matter how much I try. This all goes to Tolkien. **

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**The Warning**

Elrond Peredhil was quietly humming to himself as he made his way down the hall to breakfast. It seemed as if the whole house of Elrond was alive and cheerful today. Prince Legolas had arrived late last night to see his adopted son Estel, and the twins had come home even later from their hunting trip. All-in-all it made for a wonderful morning for the friends to wake up and find that they all were in the same place at the same time. However, that also meant dedicates would not be safe for a while. He would have to talk to Raniver about putting up most of the ancient artifacts.

As Elrond was musing over all of the poor items in danger's way, he heard a dish crash against the floor in the dining hall. _Too late for that one..._ he thought to himself as he opened the door to expect the worse. He stopped in the doorway and took in the site that greeted him. Elladan was wrestling with Aragorn on the floor, a little to close to the table for his liking. He now knew what caused the death to the poor plate. On the other side of the room Elrohir had Legolas backed up to a wall with his hands out in an apparent truth offering he supposed.

Legolas seemed to notice Elrond had walked in and he quickly put down his arms and shot a glare at Elrohir. The twin whipped around, his eyes widening at the site of his father. "Elladan." the twin hissed. At the sound of his name Elladan and Estel both froze staring up with horror at their father in the door.

Elrond mustered up the 'Elrond eyebrows' as his boys liked to call it, and looked at them all with an upset frown. All four of the friends lowered their heads and looked at the floor expecting a lecture. Elrond could not hold the look as long as he intended and instead broke out in laughter. "You all are how old and you still manage to act like a troupe of elflings?" He kept laughing. It was good to have them all back home. They were all his sons, even Legolas had become a son to him, and he had missed the rambunctious young ones when the house was quiet.

"I won't even ask who started it this time," as he said that Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir all switched a glare to Estel. "but I will ask that you try and keep the house in one piece." Elrond moved over to the table and grabbed a few pieces of fruit. "If you'll excuse me I do have some business to attend to this morning. Please stay out of trouble." With that, Elrond winked at the four who were standing in shock, and left the room humming once again to himself.

Once they had gotten out of their shocked state, Elladan was the first to move. He roughly smacked Estel on the back of the head and proceded to stand. "If you dare mention the snow dare again, Elrohir and I will tear you both apart!" He said as he began to advance on the human still on the floor.

"Hey! When did I automatically get paired with the ranger!" Legolas burst out as Elrohir and him moved over to where the other two were.

"Whenever you decided it was just as funny as he did." Elrohir chipped in from beside Legolas.

Estel started laughing again, unable to contain it, "Well whenever you decide to take a dare based on the absolute fact that frozen objects and moisture don't-"

"Estel!" Elladan boomed and grappled his youngest brother once again. They began wrestling as Legolas burst out in laughter at the thought of the twins frozen to a tree by their tongues. It had been quite the site to see and Elrond's face was priceless when he saw his two sons had managed to freeze themselves to a tree.

"Well maybe we should talk about the time you and Estel managed to irritate all the geese-" Before Elrohir could finish his sentence Legolas had tackled him to the floor. Laughter filtered from the dining hall throughout the entire house of Elrond. _Nothing could ruin this moment_, Elrond thought to himself, but how so wrong he was.

BLOODRITUAL

The old man staggered and fell again. Pain had engulfed his mind long ago and he had no idea where his feet were taking him. Blood ran down his bare skin and his cloak was soaked in it. He could not tell if it was day or night, or if he was even alive. All he knew was that somehow he kept going. Kowan rose to his feet one last time to try and stagger on to the woods he saw ahead. But that was when his body had reached its limits. Kowan collapsed face-first into the ground, red soaking the grass around him.

He had no idea where his feet had led him, he only remembered when that retched blue man had turned on him. The old man shuddered with the thought of what the man had done to him. He found himself no longer caring for youth, only caring for the pain to go away.

Kowan was only half-aware of the gentle hands rolling him onto his back and the gentle words being spoken.

"Oh, no. This doesn't look good. We need to get him to Ada and fast." Elladan said as he turned to his twin. Elrohir nodded as Elladan gently picked up the old man. He could already feel the blood staining his own tunic.

"But what about Estel and Legolas? They won't know that we have stopped the hunt?" Elrohir asked the older twin. The four had decided in order to decide who's situation was the most ridiculous, that they would go out and see who could hunt the most game in the day's light.

Elladan nodded at this, but then looked up to the tree canopy above them. "I think Legolas will know soon..." He said as he trudged forward. The twins could already hear the leaves rustling above them.

BLOODRITUAL

"How could they beat us Legolas?" Aragorn said laughing as he once again picked up another hare taken down by his own bow. Legolas laughed at that.

"You may be right Estel, with your superb tracking and my bowman-ship, we may be the dream team yet." Both were normally humble about their skills, but together and against the pesky twins, they thought they deserved some bragging rights.

Around midday the two stopped to rest at the foot of a large oak tree. Hunting had been quite plentiful and they had no doubt in their mind who the winners were going to be. Aragorn had closed his eyes contently, listening to the sounds of Legolas fidgeting with his bag and the wind blowing through the trees. It was so nice to be home. He realized that Legolas had stopped making noise so he slowly opened his eyes.

Legolas was next to a tree with his eyes close and his hand resting on the rough bark. Aragorn knew what was going on so he quietly got up and went over by his friend. "Legolas, what is it?"

After a few moments Legolas opened his eyes and took his hand off the tree to grip Aragorn's shoulder. "We have a problem friend. Elrohir and Elladan are going back to Rivendell."

Aragorn frowned at that. "Did they tell you what happened?"

"No... but they do speak of death!" Legolas hissed as he grabbed his back and shouldered it. They both gave each other a knowing glance and took off sprinting back to Rivendell.

BLOODRITUAL

The blue had stopped shrouding the man almost entirely. He had to finish the ritual and soon. Dulin stared intently at the weathered map he held in his hands. For thousands of years he had been locked away in this forsaken cave, and he had some wrath to dish out. That fool that had awakened him had served his purpose well.

Dulin grinned evilly as he thought of what he did to Kowan. He hoped he had chosen the destination wisely. The gem on his neck glowed as he closed his eyes to see the scene. The old man seemed to be in the hands of another, gentle hands... immortal hands. His grin widened as he moved the old man's head to see his rescuer. An elf with dark hair was above him, quickly moving with speed to a destination he hoped was the center of Rivendell.

The gem he had placed inside the old man had done its job well. He had full control of his actions and voice, or so he hoped. Just a little bit longer and his ritual would be in affect. Middle Earth would pay with his revenge. That he promised.

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**Yay! Second chapter done! I'm trying to update almost everyday. I will either do it during the day or at night depending when I work. :)I apologize for grammar mistakes.  
**

**I did take some author power here and decide that tongues could stick to frozen trees though I highly doubt that is possible. Lol. Don't worry, we'll be getting into the thick of the plot here soon. ;P **

**I hope you all enjoyed it! I'd love to see some reviews!**

**Love LamaraLily**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey hey! :) So I managed to get off work early tonight so here I go again on another update. Lol. No worries, I'll still up date tomorrow as well! **

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any of these Omazing characters. All of it is Tolkien's. **

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**Adventure Beckons**

Elrond was startled when Elladan burst into his study covered in blood. "Ada! We need you in the healing ward!" As gripped Elrond's arm in a tight vice and began to drag him to the healing chamber.

"Who's hurt?!" Elrond demanded as his heart dropped. The two were already sprinting down the hallways and his mind was plagued with which young one was hurt. Elladan seemed to catch on to his father's feelings.

"Oh, no. Its not any of us ada, its an old man Elrohir and I found. He needs immediate attention!" Elrond nodded as they burst into the gigantic healing ward. On one of the beds a figure was writhing in agony, surrounded by healers trying to calm him down. "Step back." Elrond demanded, he cringed at his sharp tone but he knew this was between life and death.

As the other elves stood back he saw the extent of the old man's condition. The healers had removed his cloak to show whip marks covering his torso. There was something that looked like claw marks making their way down the man's side and bruises covered almost every piece of flesh. Blood was still flowing out of the wounds, staining the white sheets crimson. _Who would do this to an elder?_

"Elladan grab me the herbs we have in the storeroom for bleeding, internal bleeding, and infection. Elrohir I need bandages. Lots of bandages." Elrond instructed his sons as he began to work to get the old man calmed down. Something was not right here, but he couldn't seem to place it.

Elladan got back first and he began to concoct a poultice and a tea for the old man. He only hoped that they had reached him in time.

BLOODRITUAL

Legolas and Aragorn sprinted past the elves milling in the great gardens of Rivendell, dropping game as they went. Aragorn's mind raced on which one of his brother's was hurt. It was just meant to be an innocent hunting trip! Legolas seemed to sense this fear.

"Everything will be alright mellon nin. One of the twins wouldn't let some old hunting trip get the best of them." He said as they ran through the hallways towards the healing ward they knew would hold the wounded.

Aragorn only nodded as they approached the door. As he shoved it open he half expected all of Rivendell to be in the room, nursing one of its Lords back to safety. Instead he found only his brothers and adar taking care of what looked to be an elderly human.

"Ada, what's going on?" Aragorn asked as he slowly approached the bed. He noticed soiled bandages were in a pile on the floor and bowls of crimson water were on the table next to the bed. However, one look at the old man told him that he was under the influence of one of Elrond's teas.

"We found him while we were hunting Estel. He was dieing so we brought him here." Elrohir said as he stepped over to Legolas and Aragorn.

"We thought that- I mean, I thought that..." Aragorn couldn't seem to find his voice in his relief. He just grabbed onto Elrohir and held him in an embrace.

"Oh Valar, you mean you thought that one of us was in danger?" Elrohir said in shock.

"The trees only said you two were headed back to Rivendell and that you carried death with you. I guess they couldn't give me a head count." Legolas pitched in with a small chuckle. Legolas's mirth seamed to have spread until it seemed all in the room were laughing in relief.

A small growl filled the air and interrupted their amusement. All heads turned to look at Aragorn who was busy hiding his slowly blushing face. "Hey now, a ranger has to eat doesn't he." The elves in the room just smiled at their human companion.

"Let's have Raniver get us some food then." Elladan said as he walked out the room and to where he would try and find the butler.

BLOODRITUAL

Dulin sat in his dreary cave musing over what had transpired today. He had been waiting patiently for the right moment to set his bait, and he believed that moment was coming swiftly. His patience was wearing thin, and so was his life force. He NEEDED the blood to complete the blood ritual. Dulin believed he had been patient enough with those meddling elves healing the old man's frail body.

But then something amazing had captured his attention. During the old man's sleep two figures and come into the room. One being an immortal and one being a mortal... the perfect match. And both were strong too, oh so strong. They had life just bursting from them. He smiled a crooked smile. In the old man's body the gem could practically feel the bond of friendship from across the room. A strong bond between the blood sacrifices meant that Dulin himself would just be stronger... perhaps strong enough to take over all of Middle Earth.

He had to think, and think well. He had not been trapped all those thousands of years just to find that he made a simple mistake and lose the perfect opportunity. If Dulin's guesses where right, these two were protectors of some sort. A plan began to form in his twisted mind.

"Master, we believe the crystal vase's are ready." A gruff looking mountain man came into the room.

"Perfect, perfect. Just make sure that the tables are ready as well. We'll have company soon." The man nodded and exited the room. Duilin cackled. It had only been to easy to find follower's who only wanted pain and violence. Suddenly something had changed in the gemstone. It was time. The gem at his collar began to glow and he took in a deep breath. Clearing his voice he began to speak...

BLOODRITUAL

Legolas, Elladan, Elrohir, and Aragorn were all playing an old wooden game that they had found amusing through all their sickbed days. Elrond had instructed the four friends to watch over the old man tonight, as Elrond had sudden guests to take care of.

"King's Crown!" Legolas shouted out as he held up the winning piece.

"Shh!" Aragorn hissed in his direction as he nodded his head in the old man's direction. Legolas made a face akin to an apology as the younger twin hit his shoulder.

"How is it that Legolas manages to beat us every time! I swear that its wood-elf trickery!" Elrohir stated as he knocked down his pieces on the board. Legolas just looked at him triumphently.

"Oh no trickery is involved mellon nin. Only good skill and wit." He said as he glanced over at Aragorn and gave him a wink.

"And what? We don't have wit or skill?" Elladan said as he shot a dark glare at the blonde archer.

Legolas opened his mouth to answer but didn't get the chance. The old man on the bed began to move in pain and opened his eyes. "Water..." It was almost soft enough that even the elves hardly caught the soft word being said. "Please...water..." Elladan was the first to jump up and pour a glass of water for the poor old man. As the man gulped down the water the others watched in wait.

Thoroughly finished, the old man looked at the four with kind eyes. "Thank you my young ones. For everything. May I ask where I am?" He said looking confused.

"You are in Rivendell kind sir. My brothers found you while out hunting and brought you back here to be healed by our Ada's hands." Aragorn replied gently.

The old man smiled as recognition slowly crept onto his face. "Ahh, well once again I thank you." A cough caught him in unawares as Elladan soothingly rubbed his back and sat him up. "You may call me Kowan."

Elrohir nodded, "Well Kowan, nicely met, though do you remember what happened and who did this to you?" Both Legolas and Elrohir had been giving each other the same look for the past few minutes.

Kowan's face darkened at that. "Yes... Yes I am afraid I do remember." The others began to gather around and get comfortable as the old man began his tale. "I'm from the small town of Craytin, right at the base of the Misty Mountains. I am the scroll keeper there and one of our trading convoys had disappeared. Children and women were dying good friends. Food had long ago disappeared and so had our healer's herbs. Our men where not trained as warriors or hunters, they were farmers, long of plow and field. None of our harvests made it though the winter sadly..." The old man had to pause as a silent tear dripped down his wrinkled face. "I finally decided I had to do something when my dear Isla... my dear granddaughter got sick with fever. The healer had no medicine to help her and she was slowly fading. I being the scroll keeper, had maps of everything. I grabbed the one that showed me the roads of the mountains and off I went."

"Did you find them?" Legolas asked, his hopes being tread upon at the old man's face.

"No my dear lad. No I didn't. Instead I found their fate. A group of hard and ravaged mountain men where lying in wait in an alcove. They... they captured me and took me to their camp. There were women, children, men, and animals being held in cages. They had been taking poor travelers for a long time now. I and a few others tried to escape... I-I was the only one who made it out. I managed to get to the outside of this "Rivendell" I suppose, and that is where I found you." The old man shook with grief after his story. Elladan tried to console him.

Aragorn's face had turned stony. "We have to stop them."

Elrohir's face jerked up. "What did you say?"

"We have to stop them! They can't be allowed to capture innocent people and get away with it!" Aragorn burst out.

Legolas nodded at his friend. "Estel is right. We have to stop this before it gets any worse. About how many men would you guess there to be Kowan? Legolas said as he looked over at the old man.

"I believe there was 7... Yes, that's right. Seven men." Kowan replied.

The four friends looked at each other in shock. "Seven men and no one has stopped them?! We will leave in the morning and tell Ada." Elrohir stated, he had echoed all others' thoughts in the room.

"Do you still have this map?" Aragorn asked urgently to Kowan. The old man nodded and pointed to his blood-stained bag at the end of the bed.

"It should be right on top, and could you hand me a quill?"

Legolas grabbed the map the map in the top of his bag as Elladan came back with a quill already dipped in ink. Kowan shakily marked an "X" on the map. "This is where I was attacked. I urge you to go cautiously, but I will say that our town will be in your debt." He said and settled back into the bed with a soft smile gracing his lips. "Now I believe I will try and get some rest, my wounds do pain me."

The others nodded and silently exited the room planning.

"Who's going to tell Ada?"

"What supplies do we need?"

"Can we all go? Won't two be enough to take on only seven men?!"

"Isn't there a convoy of men here that we have to speak with tomorrow?"

"That's settled then."

In the end the group had decided that Aragorn and Legolas would leave at first light tomorrow. Elladan and Elrohir had to represent Rivendell in a meeting with a convoy of men from Bree. At that point they would tell Elrond what the other two were up to.

Aragorn and Legolas said goodnight to the twins and began to pack their supplies. It was going to be a long night.

BLOODRITUAL

Dulin laughed. The ploy had worked so well! The story and the tears worked perfectly! He even had marked this cave as the spot to come to. Everything was working according to plan. Kowan was no longer needed... Dulin closed his eyes and pictured the small gem in his hands, at that point he crushed the gem and the remaining life force of his 'trusting slave' Kowan. Now to wait...

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**Whoa, long chapter for me there. Hope you guys liked it!**

**I apologize for any mistakes, hopefully the plot will now begin to emerge. :)  
**

**Review review! I love reviews!**

**~LamaraLily**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well guys I'm back. I'm probably posting this next chapter before any of you actually had a chance to read my last one, but hey, that's happier readers right? Lol.**

**Plus I double checked chapter 3 last night and found no problems, well I went to open it up to read and decide how I wanted to start this next chapter and ouch... Sorry guys. Grammar must have hated me last night. **

**Anyway, I'll let you read on further, I had to get this out of my head before it vanished. :)**

**I repeat again NO SLASH INTENDED, just some bro love  
**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them... :(**

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**Trouble on the Way**

At first light Aragorn and Legolas strode out to the stables, double checking their supplies. A light breeze wafted over the two friends and they almost forgot what they were actually riding out for. Aragorn was tying down the last of his supplies to his chestnut stallion Brego when Legolas began to speak. "Its been too long mellon nin. I should have come back sooner... Even though this may be to stop evil men, I will enjoy getting to ride with you again." A small smile flitted across his face.

Aragorn nodded thoughtfully. It had been too long. Legolas had gotten busy with his princely duties and he had gotten busy with the Rangers. It seemed that this was sort of like a vacation for the both of them. "Perhaps if all goes well, we can take our time and meander back." As much as he loved the company of his brothers, spending time alone with Legolas was special to him. He had been often told that him and Legolas shared a special bond that only happened every thousand years or so and he couldn't disagree. Legolas was a brother to him, even if not shared by blood.

Legolas shouldered his bow and hopped on his honey-colored mare Mywiel. "Well then mellon nin, should we be off so that way we can start our leisurely trek back here sooner?" He flashed Aragorn a bright smile as his horse began to trot off towards the gate of Rivendell.

Aragorn followed suit and soon both friends were riding out towards the Misty Mountains.

After half a day into their trip the two friends decided to stop and let their horses rest. They had found a nice clearing in the small forest they made their way through, and there was a stream to their right. Legolas pulled out their map and grabbed a seat in the shade of one of the outlying trees. Aragorn followed, but he took of his boots and lay in the grass in the sun. Legolas looked on the site with a roll of his eyes. "Of course the filthy human would decide that its time to make this poor clearing as messy as his room."

Aragorn flashed Legolas a bright grin, "Well at least like a prissy elf I know, it might like taking time to relax for a while... Plus my room is not messy, its... disorganized. There is a difference."

Once again Legolas rolled his eyes and gave a light laugh. Aragorn was Aragorn and there was no other like him for sure. After a good 20 minutes of looking over the map Legolas gave a light sigh and threw it to the side. He noticed the human lightly dazing in the sun, a peaceful look on his face. _Maybe I should rest too... It will be hard ride from here on out._ Legolas slowly crawled over to where Aragorn slumbered and took up residence beside him. He clasped his hands of his chest and realized just how nice the sun was.

BLOODRITUAL

Elladan and Elrohir were bored out of their minds listening to the men from Bree talk about trade that would benefit Rivendell. They had heard it all before, and this man was no different. Elladan couldn't help but look out the window to the lands far beyond it, and the mountains even further than that.

Elrohir nudged the older twin with his elbow. If they wanted to get out of here sooner, it would be best to at least look they were interested. Maybe that would make the man want to say less. His comrades seemed to look as bored as the twins felt.

This morning both had woken up to realize they may have made a mistake in letting Aragorn and Legolas go alone. With their track record, neither were safe in the company of the other. However, the same thought of _there's only seven _kept echoing in Elladan's head. He was sure that even Aragorn and Legolas would let the twins go alone if there were only seven foes waiting.

After the meeting was over the twins were stretching their legs out in the hall. Normally they did not have any Lordly duties, but when they did, it seemed to be the most painfully long ones. Elrond came over and clasped both his sons' shoulders. "Thank you both for listening to those men for me. I have to keep you two out of trouble somehow. Speaking of trouble, have you seen your brother or Legolas anywhere around? Raniver said he could not find either of them this morning and that normally doesn't bode well."

"Uh..."

"Well..."

Elronds lifted an eyebrow into his notorious 'Elrond look.' "What do you two know..." He said it more as a statement than a question to his sons who were looking down at their feet shamefully.

The twins got interrupted on trying to think of how to break it easy when Raniver sprinted around the corner. "My Lords! My Lords! Trouble, in the healing ward."

Elladan and Elrohir turned to each other with looks of horror and headed to the healing room just behind their father. What had possibly happened?

When they burst into the room, there was no new patient, no crowd of people, just one healer and Kowan laying on the bed.

"What happened?" Elrond demanded.

"My lord," The healer began, "he-he's gone." She couldn't hide the look of sadness that passed across her face. "I came in this morning to do my duties and check on the bandages and he... he just was gone."

Elrond set his hand on the old man's head and closed his eyes. There was nothing, no spark of anything that resembled life in any form. In fact a darkness seemed to reside there... His brow furrowed. It almost was unnatural. As he began to delve deeper it seemed to disappear completely. _Hmm... maybe I just imagined it. That meeting was long, I could be more tired than I thought... _His instincts still pulled at him but he ignored them.

Elrond sighed. "Well, there is nothing we can do now other than prepare the body for funeral. I do believe that we should find where he lived so we can at least give him back to his family. They surely miss him." He grabbed the old man's hand and lifted it up to inspect the ring on his finger. He would take it and research the origins of the designs. As he slipped the ring into his pocket Elladan stepped forward.

"Um... Ada. We know where he was from. I suppose its time to tell you the whole story." The twins recalled how Kowan had awoken when they were watching him. They told Elrond everything, even how Aragorn and Legolas were on the road this very instant to find the men who were trapping these innocent people.

Elrond couldn't help but rub his temples in frustration. How could these young ones think they were immune to danger! He had patched them up too many times to count and now they were back at it again. He sighed.

"Ada, don't blame them. We were going to go too, but we remembered our commitment today. We also take part of the blame." Elrohir spoke up. He couldn't stand to see their ada like this.

Elrond let out a light chuckle. "Oh, sons, I don't blame them. I worry for them." He said with a light frown.

Elladan suddenly had a bright idea, "Ada, why don't you let us take Kowan's body back to Craytin. We can try and catch up to Estel and Legolas in the process." He smiled at his father trying hard to convey that the idea was a great one.

Elrond sighed as a slight smile touched his lips. "Would me banning you from doing this stop you?"

"No." Both twins said in sync.

"Then I have no choice. Go and take his body to his family, then find my other two rambunctious sons." Elrond said. "Please be safe..."

BLOODRITUAL

Legolas was sleeping peacefully in the warmness of the sun when suddenly ice cold water slammed into his slumber. He sat up gasping and spluttering water, eyes wide and grabbing for the knife that was on his side. His eyes became to slits when he saw his 'attacker.'

"ESTEL!" He shouted and got up to his feet drawing his knife. "I'LL GET YOU, YOU FILTHY HUMAN!" Legolas began to chase the laughing Aragorn around the clearing. Legolas gave up this tactic and dropped his knife. Instead he ran at a sprint to the human and tackled the wide-eyed man to the ground. Laughter erupted from both of them as Legolas held the ranger in a headlock.

"I'm sorry mellon nin, it was just too good of an opportunity!" Aragorn spluttered out laughing. "Next time I'll remember to take your knife away though." He said as he nodded to the knife now plunged into the ground. Legolas seemed to growl at him. "Now that your up though, why don't we start out again and not be lazy." Aragorn said as he stood, echoing the words that had come from Legolas's mouth too many times.

Legolas shot him a dark glare that could have killed him if looks could. After finding their mounts, they began to head off at a faster pace. "I fear rain will be coming in a few days time." Legolas said as he looked up into the sky. Aragorn nodded and urged Brego on faster.

The rest of the trip passed by harmlessly. In fact, the two made great time. Within 3 days they were in the foot of the mountains. The only problem was that it was beginning to rain. It appeared the friends weren't high enough to turn the moisture to snow. Aragorn gave a slight thanks to the Valar for that. However, his thanks disappeared within a few hours.

"Where are we headed mellon nin? Even my eyes can not see through this torrent." The blonde archer shouted over the storm to his companion that held the map. Wind had picked up and was trying to steal the map from Aragorn's grasp.

"We were heading in the right direction but I can not see where we are with all this rain." Aragorn shouted back. This was hopeless.

"Lets find shelter, it would do us no good to get caught in the rain with our enemies." Legolas said as he began to plow on through the storm. After another hour of riding in the hell-like conditions, the archer finally saw what he was looking for. "There is a cave! Right up on that ridge. Come on." He turned Mywiel to the cave and saw Aragorn had followed. Legolas had never liked caves, but he knew that Aragorn was susceptible to getting a cold in this rain.

Both friends found that it was a nicely sized cave. It looked like no one had used it in many years. The two horses and them could both fit in with space to spare. Aragorn started a fire with the kindling and few branches he had brought along. It was the only wood that wasn't wet in the area, though he had to make sure to replenish his supply before they headed out again.

Long into the night Legolas began to get an uneasy feeling. Neither him nor Aragorn could find sleep in this cave. Their clothes had long been dry and the fire still was going. "Estel, are you still awake?" Legolas whispered to his friend.

"Yes, I can find no rest tonight. I have an uneasy feeling." Aragorn replied louder than his friend. He sat up and took in the fire for a few moments. Suddenly he reached out and snatched a small limb that was resting halfway into the fire. It worked marvelously as a torch.

"What are you doing?" The archer hissed as his friend stood up.

"I'm going to rest my fear by walking to the back of the cave. I believe then I could get some sleep." Aragorn replied as he began walking. He heard Legolas scramble to his feet and then felt the pressure of a hand on his shoulder.

"Not without me you're not. I do not feel right about this cave." The archer said looking around at the grim shadows that played against the wall. Aragorn nodded and gave a smile.

Both friends made there way to the back of the cave. Spider webs filled every corner and wall until they reached the back wall. The wall was surprisingly clean. No spiderwebs made their home on this wall. As Aragorn made his way to investigate he suddenly heard a click under his foot.

"Aragorn! Watch out!" He heard Legolas cry and he turned around in just enough time to see the archer grab his arm and then they both were falling in the dark. It was almost like a mudslide but not, it was a rock slide for sure. At first he felt no pain at the first impact, it almost felt soft. A sickening crack filled his senses and mistily he heard Legolas cry out in pain, but it sounded far away. The second impact was when he felt the pain. He had managed to get turned around and his torso slammed into the ground, with something landing on top of him. Fire spread through his chest and he did remember that he kept going down, but he couldn't tell you how long.

All he remembered was hitting the ground and hearing the sickening thud of something else hit the ground beside him. Fire spread through his chest again, engulfing him in the flames and then he blissfully lost consciousness.

BLOODRITUAL

Dulin felt a smile tug at his lips and his gleaming eyes popped open. _They were here._

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**Bamm! Lol. Finally got to the good stuff! I know this is a cliffie but hey. I'm evil like that. :)**

**I do have bad news though. I am going to a friends house and I don't believe she would enjoy having me writing on my laptop all night. I may not get my update in tomorrow so you may just have to wait. Sorry! Lol. I promise I'll try to sneak it in.**

**Anyway! Please review! I love reviews! Plus reviews may make me more sneaky and write fast enough to update sooner! Plus they make me feel awesome.**

**Oh! One last note. I do apologize about translations. I sort of just expect everyone to know them but I realize not everyone does.**

**Mellon nin: My friend**

**Ada: Father**

**That's it for me!**

**LamaraLily Out**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I managed to sneak onto my laptop and update this story while my friend was in the shower. ;P Just no one tell her. Lol.**

**THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! You don't understand how happy that makes me! For you who love having our two favorite characters hurt, you'll begin to love this story. :) And who knows? Maybe the twins might get some injuries themselves. ;P I just don't know yet. Muhahaha!**

**Anyway thank you guys again, like I said this is my first story and having all of you guys read it means a lot. Now I won't hold you any longer.**

**Disclaimer: I am still not the owner. :( All praise is to Tolkien. **

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**In the Darkness**

Consciousness slowly returned to Aragorn and he could not admit he wanted to. From the way he felt he was pretty sure an oliphant had used his chest as a stampede area. _Where am I?_ Aragorn furrowed his eyebrows and moved his head to the side. A moan slipped from his throat, his whole body felt sore. He realized that he still had his eyes closed, but he just couldn't bring himself to open them. When he opened them, he almost wished he hadn't. A torch was slowly dying beside his leg he noted. The little glow it gave off showed him just enough to know he was in a cave. _Hah, wouldn't Legolas hate this-_Legolas! The fall! He remembered everything in that instant and quickly tried to sit up.

The move proved to be the wrong move as his ribs made an appearance. A gasp shot out of his mouth as the jerky movement caused pain to spread through his lungs. Aragorn couldn't seem to take deep enough breaths without causing some sort of a pain. After closing his eyes for a few minutes and slowing his breathing, he finally could finish sitting up. Definitely something broken in his chest for sure he assessed.

He shifted slowly to avoid causing further harm to his delicate torso, and grabbed what was left of the torch. Holding it up he could tell they were in some sort of a tunnel, and the way they came in was definitely higher than what the light could reach. The light caught a golden glimpse from beside him. "Legolas!" Aragorn slowly pulled himself over to his friend. It appeared as if the elf had landed on his stomach, for his hair was the only feature he could see from his head.

Aragorn worked Legolas gently onto his back. To his shock Legolas cried out and arched his back in pain, his eyes popping open. "Mellon nin! Calm down, its me Aragorn. Look at me Legolas." Aragorn tried to push Legolas gently on his chest to try and keep him from hurting himself further. Recognition filtered through the archer's eyes an instant later and his body relaxed.

"Aragorn?" Legolas asked a bit drowsily as he took in his surroundings. Aragorn noticed he made no move to change his position which put up warning signs in his mind.

"Yes, we fell. Do you remember?" Aragorn asked in fear of a concussion. He had not seen blood but the way Legolas was acting was causing him to worry.

Legolas closed his eyes and then nodded. "Yes, I do remember now. It was definitely not... pleasant." He said with a small smile but then it quickly turned into a grimace. Aragorn had noticed pain in Legolas's eyes and put his hand on the archer's shoulder.

"Where are you hurt mellon nin. Our little light makes it hard to assess you." Aragorn said with a small smile of comfort in return. He held the torch up just enough to justify his point.

Legolas's face became tight with pain. "Mellon nin, I fear my leg is broken... I have a tingling running from under my knee down to my toes. Its most... painful." Aragorn realized that Legolas admitting him to be in pain had to make it almost unbearable.

"You know I have to set it... Let me see what kind of a break we are dealing with here." Aragorn moved himself where Leoglas's legs where located, in a most delicate manner. Legolas noticed to Aragorn's frustration.

"Aragorn, where are you injured. Do not try and hide it from me..." Ignoring Legolas's question, Aragorn began to feel along his friend's right leg.

"Aragorn, that is the wrong leg and do not ignore my question..." Legolas glared at his friend in hopes of scaring the answer out of the ranger. Aragorn completely ignored the look and adjusted himself to look over the left leg better.

His hands gently felt up from Legolas's ankle. Aragorn could already feel the swelling in the leg below. Suddenly he felt a spot that jutted up from the smooth track of the elf's leg. He gently prodded it further, only to have Legolas cry out and instinctively jerk away from his administrations. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Aragorn apologized. He hated causing the elf pain.

Sweat was dripping from Legolas's forehead by the time he could answer Aragorn. "D-Don't apologize mellon." he ground out through his teeth. As Aragorn continued to assess Legolas's leg, the elf tried to find his calming place. Mirkwood, Rivendell, anywhere from here. Pain flooded his senses once again as Aragorn felt a different place on his leg. He bit his lip to muffle the cry that was floating on his lips.

Aragorn gently finished his inspection and rested his hand comfortingly on Legolas's sweaty forehead. "Well I have good news and bad news. Good news is that its a clean break... Bad news... Its broken in two different places on the lower leg. Both clean but both broken nonetheless." He said lightly. Legolas only nodded to this news, pain was radiating from his leg and he was finding it hard to concentrate.

"Just set it." Legolas snapped out. Blackness was creeping into his vision and he wanted this over with.

Aragorn took a deep breath as he adjusted his grip on the elf's leg. "Alright... 3, 2..." He felt Legolas relax and took the moment when it arose. He set the bones in one go, but Legolas's cry echoed through the tunnel and back to his ears. To his horror, he noticed his friend did not fall into unconsciousness, and instead was gasping in air with his eyes clenched tightly shut. "Legolas. Mellon nin, are you still with me?" There was only the sound of Legolas's ragged breathing. "Legolas?" He was beginning to think something else was the matter.

"What...what happened to one?" Legolas finally ground out, a light chuckle turning into a hiss of pain. Fire was shooting from his leg and seemed to know the places that would hurt the most. This was not the first bone he had set, but normally he was not aware of his body at this point. It appeared that the pain was even too much to let the blackness blissfully take his awareness.

Aragorn couldn't help but let out a light laugh which he cut off immediately. His chest began to make itself known to him once again. He grasped his side almost as if he was trying to protect it.

"Aragorn? Answer me? What is injured?" Aragorn could hear Legolas struggling to sit up beside him, but he could not seem to answer around the pain squeezing his lungs. It wasn't until light fingers gently removed his arm that was wound around his side that he noticed his friend had succeeded in getting up.

Through a fog in his mind, Aragorn could feel Legolas probing his ribs. He cried out when one gentle hand found the mark. "Forgive me Estel." Legolas said as he continued his search. Aragorn hissed as once again, pain shot out from the light touch. By the end of Legolas's assessment, Aragorn found himself to be wheezing in air through his tortured lungs. He was beginning to feel lightheaded.

"I apologize my friend." Legolas said once again as he put a supporting hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "It seems that you have managed to break 4 ribs mellon nin. That's even a record for you.." Legolas tried to lighten Aragorn's mind to give him calmness once again.

"Looks like its a day for records then... Broken a bone twice, broken four ribs... What are Elladan and Elrohir going to say?" Aragorn could already hear the twin's evil comments. He was pulled out of his reverie by the sound of a ripping cloak. "What are you doing?" He asked as he looked puzzled towards the blonde archer.

"I need to try and help your battered ribcage while we still have some light." Legolas replied as he nodded his head to the almost dead torch on the floor. Aragorn seemed to be startled into another thought.

"I don't have anything to splint your leg mellon." Aragorn said sorrowfully. In their walk, neither had grabbed any of their weapons. _Stupid, stupid! Of all times to be careless! _Aragorn berated himself. Legolas's face seemed to drop at that, realizing he had nothing supporting the delicate bones.

"Don't worry. We'll think of something as I bind your ribs into place." Legolas replied as he tried to drag himself closer. Legolas could not hide the wince as his leg was jostled in the process. The look Aragorn shot him was a look of guilt. "We'll be patched up in no time." Legolas flashed the human a smile. It seemed Legolas's hope had touched the ranger's again and he returned the smile.

The task was not easy, for too many times it seemed to Legolas that Aragorn muffled a cry of pain. By the end, Legolas's cloak was in shreds towards the bottom but the elf did not mind. Aragorn gently tested moving around and found the tight cloth did what it was suppose to. He could tell that heavy movement would jostle the ribs, but he could move with at least some support around the injured area. While Legolas had worked on him an idea had sparked in his mind.

"I know what I am going to use to splint your leg. Could you rip more cloth for me and I also will need your belt as well." He could see Legolas's eyebrows raise in surprise but the archer trusted him. Aragorn ended up binding the broken areas tight with the cloth but then strapping the belts around the area to keep the limb immobile. The belts would not work as well as wood, but until they found a way out, he believed that the belts would work well.

Patching each other up had taken a toll on the friends and they found themselves exhausted. Both had dragged themselves to one of the walls and leaned back against the cold stone. Legolas felt his eyes closing, but he could not help but suppress a shudder. He realized that when he opened them next, it would be in total darkness, for the torch was already almost out.

BLOODRITUAL

Elladan and Elrohir cursed the rain. They had managed to take shelter in a shallow cave before the torrent truly hit. The flet they had been dragging Kowan's body on was safely inside with both of them, though their moods were quite sour. Hopes of catching up to Aragorn and Legolas where doused with the rain. They could not afford to let the old man's corpse get wet in fear of speeding up decomposition.

What if they were in danger... What if there were more than seven men! Elladan grunted and hit the rock wall in anger. They were completely at the rain's mercy and it appeared to be all out of mercy at the moment. He suddenly felt a gentle hand rest itself on his shoulder.

"Do not fear brother, the rain will stop soon. Once we give Kowan to his family we can go in search of those two troublemakers." Elrohir said with a slight smile. Elladan only nodded, his instincts where telling him to go after the two NOW!

The two brothers could do nothing but wait and worry until the rain stopped.

BLOODRITUAL

Dulin looked at the glass mirror that showed him his domain. The caves that had been his home for centuries showed itself to him. "There." He gasped out. There in one of the furthest caverns sat his prey, injured and weak. His joy manifested as soon as he saw the poor figures.

"Gronko. Fetch me my prizes..." He demanded to a rugged man standing at the entrance of the cavern. The man simply grunted and then turned to walk out.

"Oh, and Gronko." The man turned to face Dulin once again. "I do not mind my prizes being damaged... they only have to have blood left to bleed." The man's frown turned into the most evil sneer Dulin had seen on a human. This fared to be interesting... That he was sure of.

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**Whew. My friend may have caught me but what could she do? Lol. I hope you enjoyed. That was a little gift for all of my pain-lovers out there. *Cough* And I know you are. :P**

**Translations:**

**Mellon nin: my friend**

**Mellon: friend**

**Ada: father**

**This story is definitely going to be getting interesting soon. I know, I know! Poor Aragorn and Legolas, and poor twins for being unable to help. :D**

**I love all of you guys who are reading this. I'd love reviews, but just having you guys read it makes my heart sing. :)**

**Reviews would be awesome though. *hint***

**Until next time**

**LamaraLily Out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I am SOOO sorry! D: Its been way too long. I work at a clothing store, and we've been doing this promotion for like the last week, and needless to say... I've had a ton of hours on my plate! But this promotion is over so now I can start updating regularly again! :) Sorry about my absence again guys!**

**Thank you ALL for the reviews! I REEEAAALLY LOOOVE THEM! :D It made my day to see all of them. A special thanks to ****LalaithElerrina****! Getting to see you follow my story in the reviews is pret-ty awesome! :D Thank you!**

**Now on with the story!**

**(Btw, we are starting with the twins which would be at the time that Legolas and Aragorn were making/in their camp) I will be catching up the time here so that way it won't be confusing anymore... Or so I hope. Lol.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters in any way shape or form, I write only for fun and all praise goes to the wonderful man Tolkien**

**Revelations**

The rain had finally stopped and the twins could now leave their shelter. The sun had began its downward path, and the brothers couldn't help but grimace at how much time had passed. The twins moved to attach the flet to their horses so they could start moving again. It was quite frustrating to Elladan that the world could look so beautiful and the birds could be singing, yet their friend and brother could be in trouble or dead... How could the world not even care if two bright lights were possibly dying! He tightened his last knot with a rough jerk. He looked at his twin to see his face serene and calm. A sigh escaped his lips, he knew Elrohir was just as frustrated as he was but the twin had a talent of hiding his irritation rather than expressing it like the elder twin.

"We are only a few hours ride to Craytin. We can be out looking for Estel and Legolas here at nightfall." Elrohir broke in through Elladan's thoughts. "I do not know how dangerous this part of the mountains are, but we do have the option to search at night."

Elladan thought of what his twin said. Yes he wanted to be out looking for the mischievous pair, but he had to admit that his mind told him that looking at night would be stupidity at its greatest. He shook his head, "No, we will find shelter for the night around this town. Searching in the dark would be dangerous and we also wouldn't be able to track as well. We may end up missing them..."

Elrohir sighed. It was like they couldn't win... "Estel and Legolas may have already dealt with the problem and are heading home laughing about how worried we would be." He said with a hopeful smile.

Elladan tried to return the smile but found himself frowning instead. "Maybe..." He didn't believe his words, his instincts were telling him that the other two were in danger. Great danger...

The twins mounted their mares and picked up their pace to Craytin. They were determined to get to this town and be off as soon as possible.

The sun crept even lower towards the horizon. The woods the two elves traveled through seemed to get darker the further they traveled towards this Craytin. Only a few signs pointed out that they were going the right way. The wood had not been taken care of in many, many years for certain. The signs had an almost ghostly appearance, chipped away until only the ancient text "Craytin" could hardly be legible.

At long last a town stood before them. No wall stood around the village, no guard stood at the entrance, and no people could be seen in the streets. In fact, if there weren't some lights filtering through the windows of some houses, Elrohir was sure this town would have been abandoned long ago. They had reached the town as the last few rays stood present above the horizon.

"What should we do Elladan?" Elrohir asked, his wide eyes searching his brother's. He could not comprehend how a town could look utterly abandoned. He could not even see a tavern with its lights full on and people bustling about.

Elladan was just as speechless. There seemed to be around 12 houses with candles flickering through the windows. Just 12 out of around 35 he would estimate. Something had to be wrong here... "I think we need to just knock on one of these houses and hope they know what to do.." He urged his horse onward towards the center of the town.

Elrohir noticed something happening as they approached the houses with light, they slowly were being diminished one by one. In fact the house they were riding right next to suddenly went black. "Elladan!" Elrohir hissed to his twin as he halted his horse.

"I know..." Elladan replied already comprehending what was going on. Both twins dismounted and put a hand on the hilt of their swords. Elrohir gave a pointed look at his twin and Elladan already knew his thoughts. The brothers made their way slowly to the door of the house beside them. This was one of the houses that had light they knew. Elladan reached out tentatively and knocked lightly on the door. "Hello? We are not here to harm anyone. We bring back a member of this town with us."

Elrohir and Elladan heard movement in the house and patiently waited. The sound of soft footsteps could be heard right inside the door. The door opened a slight crack and big brown eyes peered out at them. "Who did you bring back." The figure said in the door.

The elves knew two things for sure: this was a young girl, probably around 16 and that these people were afraid of them. They could tell by the shaking in the girl's voice. Elrohir stepped slightly forward. "Do not fear. I am Elrohir and this is my twin Elladan. We are elves and are not here to hurt you." The girls eyes widened and the door opened further to reveal the sweet face lined with dark locks.

"I never seen any elves before! Is that why you have pointy ears! I've only heard of twins but never seen any real ones either! Can you guys talk in your minds to each other?" Questions came in a barrage from the young girl. A slight accent touched her voice and the twins could tell that she was not taught how to speak proper Westron.

"We can answer your questions later young one, but we bring back the Master Kowan. He uh, he passed away dear." Elrohir answered softly to the girl. Her face had changed at the mention of Kowan.

"Kowan huh. The old man who's missing for years? I don't know what greetin' you'll get here with that old sack of bones. I'm Isla. Practically I'm the only one who'll care a bit if he back. He was my grandpappy. Well not really. He took me in after my folks died so I called him pappy. I mean-"

Elrohir interrupted her gently. He figured this girl could talk for ages. "Pardon my intrusion Miss Isla, but may be come inside and we can figure what is really going on with Kowan here?" The girl blushed.

"No one ever call me Miss before. I suppose you can come in. Just leave him out here kay?" Isla opened the door fully and the twins went inside. This was going to end up being an unforgettable night for sure.

BLOODRITUAL

Elrond sat at his desk rummaging through papers that the men from Bree left him. He was having a hard time concentrating with all his thoughts centering around his sons, so work had been almost non-existent. The Noldor elf stood up slowly and made his way over to the balcony. The garden was gorgeous this time a year, almost every plant blooming with the frequent rains. As Elrond's thoughts wandered to the far off mountains, his hand wandered to his pocket. To his surprise there was something in his pocket.

His brow furrowed as he brought out the disturbance. Kown's ring? He had forgotten that he had taken it in hopes of finding the old man's home town. He must have dismissed it when his sons told him they already knew where the man had lived, and even had a map to get there. As he looked at the design longer, his memory seemed to be triggered. He had definitely seen this design before... but where?

"I believe I have some research to do... I do not think that this design signifies a town..." Elrond muttered darkly to himself... He set the ring on his desk and went to search through his books in his library. This boded ill for sure. He just knew it... And that also meant all his sons were in danger as well...

BLOODRITUAL

"What! There were no problems with bandits in the mountains?!" Elladan shouted. Isla had been gracing them with all the information she possessed.

"We not trade in Craytin for hundreds of years. After the great Magika Dulin, Craytin closed itself off. We want no trouble here." Isla replied. She had informed them of the history of this small town. Hundreds of years ago, almost a thousand to be exact, this town had been a thriving providence. Their great lord had passed away and left his only son, Dulin, to take his role. Dulin, however, was shunned by the people for practicing something called 'magik.' Isla had related to them that this lord Dulin was obsessed with immortality, claiming that 'Magikas' like him were greater than the immortal elves that lived in Middle Earth. He began to sacrifice many of the town's people at a strange alter in the mountains to try and acquire this immortality.

Isla had said that the reason it didn't work is because he hadn't 'perfected his recipe' yet. After reading ancient texts that dealt with dark magik, he found that he was missing one part of the puzzle; an immortal. He became almost insane for this power he craved. Dulin traveled Middle Earth to find something called the "Blood Stones." Though these stones would not make him immortal, it would preserve his body as long as he fed it souls of the dead. Townspeople where massacred by the cruel men he had hired while searching for the "Blood Stones." He fed his stone much of the food it needed to keep him alive.

However there was a turning point in the story. There was a large group of elves who came to save the town from this maniac. One elf in particular wielded great power. This elf cast down Dulin and put him into a slumber in the very cave he used for sacrifice, never to wake again.

"So Kowan lied to us?!" Elrohir added after Isla's comment on trade.

The girl nodded. "Kowan changed... He left years at a time and he never said what he seen. He'd go on mad hunts talkin' bout living forever. Some people say he was in it to wake up ol' Dulin again... Kept on ravin' about how 'servants get reward' or somethin'. But he left bout five years ago and never came back..." She said lightly. "Ever since he left we been expecting bad things to show up like with the Magika. So we turn off all lights if we ever seen travelers headin' this way. That way they think it abandoned."

"But there was no guard. How could you have known?" Elrohir asked the girl.

"We got scouts up the road. Men change duty with each other to keep us all safe. They really good at it by now I'm sure. They don't have to move to talk to us, they have pulleys or somethin' like that. Healer Moana practically runs the town. She always watching for the scout's signs..."

The two twins nodded. They were wondering how scouts could have slipped past them like they did but the pulley system would answer that. Elladan was looking out the window, marveling about how light had flooded the town once again.

"Since I invited you all in, you friends now. That why the lights are up." She said smiling, almost sensing the question on his mind. "Now, you two stayin' here tonight right? No use going out t'night." She said.

"That would be wonderful Miss Isla." Elrohir said with a light smile gracing his face.

"Oh, no Miss 'bout me. Just Isla is fine." The girl said with a slight rosy color rising on her cheeks.

"We're actually looking for two of our brothers. Well, adopted brother and friend I should say. They went in search of the bandits we got upset about earlier. And now that we know no bandits are about, I'm quite worried." Elladan spoke up from the window seat he had taken.

Isla's face had crinkled in thought. "You say adopted brother, you mean elf like yerself?"

Elladan shook his head. "No, he is actually human like you. We are worried for his safety with all this rain. He always manages to catch a cold." He said with a soft smile remembering caring for a young Estel.

Isla nodded, her face still crinkled. "So your friend, he a human too then?"

"No, no. He is an elf like us. Though he is as much trouble as our human brother." Elrohir spoke up with a light chuckle.

Isla suddenly gasped, her eyes going wide. "You both better leave tomorrow early. You gonna find your friends in trouble most likely. Remember the two things Dulin needs? Immortal and mortal, and it look like Kowan played that right into the Magika's hands. Just hope that the old bones outside didn't wake up that maniac, or your 'brothers' are gone for sure!"

Elladan and Elrohir gaped at this realization. How could they have been so stupid! They let those two gallivant off into the danger that needed both of them for a sacrifice!

"We need to leave tonight!" Elladan boomed as he stood up swiftly.

"No! No, no. You can't leave t'night. That cave full of traps and they hard enough to see in day time... I got a map! Don't worry. You get there in less than an hour." Isla burst out. She really didn't want the two to leave. She enjoyed their company and she couldn't help but think their companions were already dead...

Elladan seemed to come to his senses and nodded. "Alright Isla.. I suppose you're right... Thank you for letting us stay." He said with his hands clenched into fists. This Dulin Magika or whatever the hell he was called, would pay. Elladan would make sure of that...

**Whew. Sorry guys. No Legolas and Aragorn for you this time. I had to open the story. Lol. And I fear that it would take me hours to write what I want to with those two friends. I did have an epiphany as I wrote this story. I know what story I'm going to do next. It might have to deal with trials, like of strength, cunning, blah blah. :D I won't start it until this one is safely finished and tucked away. Don't worry. **

**Sorry for grammar and mistakes. I know they're in there. Also sorry about Isla, I tried hard to make it slightly childish but it ended up sounding sort of western accent kind of thing. So just make it how you think she is. Lol. :P**

**Thank you guys so much for reading! Reviews Please!**

**Legolas and Aragorn galore next chapter!**

**LamaraLily Out! :)**


	7. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

* * *

Hello everybody... I know I have been gone for quite a while and I really do apologize for that. This summer on June 15th my dearest cousin lost his life in a car accident. He was hit by a drunk driver and died 3 hours later due to his injuries at the hospital. These past few months have been extremely rough on me. My cousin was my closest friend and in fact we were suppose to travel to our colleges together this past August. I lost my will to write because of this accident and I know now that it was silly of me. I am now at college and am beginning to realize that my cousin would not have wanted me to live like this. I am not asking for pity, only understanding. :) I am back officially and am working on the next chapter. I hope for it to be up within the week. Don't give up on me yet.

Thank you so much for all my readers. You guys really are awesome.

Sincerely,

_LamaraLily_

Sorry Again._  
_


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